Jobs-plank-Metcalfe
Metcalfe Calls on Rendell to Stop Manipulating the Truth Regarding the State of Pennsylvania’s Economy 1/27/2006 Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, Pennsylvania House of Representatives (724) 772-3110, (717) 783-1707 Conservative lawmaker cites Rendell administration’s failed tax, spend and borrowing policies as major reason for lack of job creation in Pennsylvania Responding to a second letter from Governor Ed Rendell chastising him for “questioning the state of Pennsylvania’s economy,” Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) issued his own letter today to further reinforce his position that the Rendell administration’s failed tax, spend and borrowing policies are the major reasons behind the state’s continued decline in population growth, economic expansion and job creation. “While I appreciate the Governor’s most recent attempt to educate me regarding the true state of Pennsylvania’s economy, the carefully selected information he choose to include tells only half the story,” said Metcalfe. “Once again, it’s time for Pennsylvania taxpayers to hear the rest of the story.” According to Metcalfe, the Governor’s December 22 letter claiming that “Employment is up,” “Unemployment is down,” and that economic “expansion is occurring across the state,” deliberately ignored the following information: 1. Pennsylvania’s population growth continues at a stagnant pace, lagging behind the rest of the nation. :A December 22, 2005, research brief from the Pennsylvania State Data Center at Penn State Harrisburg confirmed that “Pennsylvania’s population growing more slowly than the nation as a whole,” and that “In population percent increase, Pennsylvania ranked 43rd and 46th nationally over the 2004-2005 and 2000-2005 periods.” 2. Pennsylvania’s economy is experiencing a loss of high paying jobs, as government and low-paying jobs are created. U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics data from October 2004 to October 2005 indicates that total non-farm employees increased by 65,400. Of that number, 7,700 were identified as government jobs. Among the sectors that gained employees, the top two, Leisure and Hospitality and Education and Health Services were among the three lowest paying sectors, with Leisure and Hospitality earning an average of $236.70 weekly and Education and Health Services earning an average of $549.64 weekly. The other lowest paying sector was retail trade, which falls under Trade, Transportation and Utilities, where the average weekly earnings are $378.81. In comparison, the three sectors that lost jobs were also among the highest-paying: Natural Resources and Mining with average weekly earnings of $871.57, Manufacturing with average weekly earnings of $684.70 and Information with average weekly earnings of $833.09. (Weekly earnings figures from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 2005.) 3. Pennsylvania taxpayers’ overhead costs of government are out of control. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Center for Workforce Information & Analysis’ list of Pennsylvania’s Top 50 Employers, our state government ranks as the number two employer, just behind the federal government. The City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia rank as the fourth and fifth largest employers in our state, respectively. Out of the top five employers in Pennsylvania, only Walmart (number three) is an employer that generates tax revenue for the state, rather than consumes it. “Rather than trying to convince me that holding down spending and cutting business taxes ‘have little impact on increasing jobs or prosperity,’ the Governor needs to face the fact that the government-manipulating economic polices of his administration have only led to increased government spending, increased taxes and increased debt,” said Metcalfe. “His most recent veto of House Bill 515, which would have succeeded in cutting one of the most devastating business taxes for job creators, and more importantly, the personal income tax for all Pennsylvania citizens, clearly illustrates this tax-and-spend philosophy. “The confiscation and transfer of wealth from the hands of working citizens into the hands of government has proven time and time again to have a negative long-term impact on private-sector entrepreneurial endeavors that ultimately spur job creation. Once again, the governor has hinged his argument on numbers manipulated over short periods of time. My argument is built on a foundation of many years of evidence which prove that government manipulated economies are always inferior to economies fueled by individual economic freedom,” he added. Representative Metcalfe's response to Governor Rendell’s December 22 letter can be reviewed in their entirety at RepMetcalfe.com. category: Planks_from_elsewhere